Toy electric railway



Patented Apr. 26, 192,7.

UNITED STTS Louisv GAR-uso, or IRvme'roN, NEW JERSEY; AssIeNoR r.ro

Tron, Av CORPORATION 0E NEW YORK.

THE' LIoNEI-i C-JoRroRA-l 'roy' ELECTRICL RAILWAY.

Application filed October 24', 1925.5 Serial No. 64,646.

This inventionY relates to toy electric railway equipment. In' connection with toy electric railways, accessories of various kinds are employedsuch as' signal towers, swinging gates, automatic train control de'- vices, andthe like, which are furnished as separateunt-s t'o be connected to the toy tracks. This V invention is directed to an improved connecting or binding plateA for making direct mechanical and electrical connections to the tracks whereby current' is led to and from the rails to an accessory,` an ob'- ject ofthe invention. beingV the provision of a, device of thecharacter describedwhereby said'ltoy accessory may be e'asilyandquiclz'ly connected' to the system by said attaching plate of improved construction and' lead Wires running from; the tracls'and plate to the accessory. Y n

' A further object of the invention'is` the provision in a device ofthe character described which shall be. simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, easy torconn'ect and operate, andpractical and' efficient' to a high degree for the purposes described.-

Other objects of 'this invention willi 1n part b e obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out;

The invention accordingly consists in the features ofconstruction, combinations ofelements. andw arrangement of' parts which will be exemplied in the construction herein'- after described, and of which the'scopeiof application will bei indicated'v in the followingiclaixns. Y

In the accompanying drawing, ,in which 1s shown-onefof the'various possible illustra'- tive. embodiments off this invention, ,Y

Fig. 1` is a perspective view of'a signalingdevice anda fragmentary7 view ofa railway structure shcwing'rmyimprovement' 1n place;V

Fig: 2 is a plan view of theV device embodyingthe invention; and

Figs. 3 and' 4L' are cross-sectional views taken onlines 3-3 andl-li'respectively.

Referring in detail to thedrawing, the invention isY there shown appliedtoa railway trackequipment comprisingtwo main rails 10',l 10a, usually attachedfin Vproper splacedrelation tot each other. and atfsuitable lengths by means of'cross` ties 11, thev connections: between therails' andi cross`-ties indicatedv at 12 being 0fany convenient` orconventional' type; A third or power rail1 13 extending', betweenI the main rails 10;.10a`is secured' tothe cross ties by" suit-table clamps 15' whiclirma'y embrace insulation` pieces 15a'. This third raili 13v is' usually madein" secu tions' 13a, 13b, one` of whichy is insulated'4 so thaty a toyI accessory mayl be* electricallyl op'- erated' therefromY when' the toy" train (not The invention' contemplates; the' provisionv ofv a: device having'tlie advantages herein referred to and' other obvious advantages whereby altoy railway accessory' suchl as' a signaltower, ort'helike, may be connected to' a toy) railway lsystem suchv as tlia't ustfdescribed, andwhich' is more' or less standard in construct-ion. y Y l Referringl now to 4Figs.. 1" and' 2, lolindicates ai bin'ding ,iI plate embodying the invention wlrichlisse'en to comprise' abaseportion 17vand two spaced arms 18' and 18?: parallelly extendingfrom one side of said portion 17, both" portions" and,l arms being'made 'of iibr'e or any other suitable, yirelaizive'lyz-\l cheap rigid insulating"material;V K Thebase portion an'darms' may be"ma'de' from a'single sheet l form hookeshaped contact clips and connect with suitable binding Vthe latter. las shown inthe drawing,

. Said body member 21 and 21l respectively. The ends of the strips 19 and 19a opposite said clips are arranged to pass through openings 22l in the base portion 17 vposts A and i respectively, which are adapted to connect through conductor wires 23 and 2a to an accessory for the toy railway such as a signall tower 25, whereby current is sup piiedto operate such accessory; v v' (3o-operating with and re-actingragainst the clips 21 and 21a is a gripping member 26 in the form of a first class lever pivoted directly tothe base portion 17 by an `eyele't rivet 27 as shown in vFigs. 2 ande. lihis rivet preferabiy is made to pass through the cui-rent carrying strip 28 for anchoring the lined lower Contact clip y opposite end of said strip 28 being provided with a terminal binding post (l which is also adapted to .connect with .the tower through the conductor wire 3f) (see Fig. 1). Zi lug is carried by the .strip 28 and is so located as to constitute apositive stop to limit the swing of the lever about the pivotV in either direction.

rlhe binding posts any suitable construction preferably being of the quick detachable type and may be formed integral with the said .strips 19, 19l vand 2S respectively, or securelyv mounted on each of saidv posts comprises a relatively rigid bodyV member 31 and a Vgripping tongue 82. Y is preferably made of forni an upstanding looped stamped metal to 33 at one end thereskeletonized stanchion of and a socket 34 formed by displacing a band 35 of metal from a portion of the member 31 adjacent the other end. The

n clips may he firmly secured in place by any suitable manner, as for example, by soldering when mounted on theirrespective strips 19', 19a and 28, or may be providedwith suitably disposed anchoringineans such as clamping tabs 36 formed on the Yends of said strips and extending through the base portion 17 or in any other well understood manner. Y

The ytongue ymember 32 is substantially U-shaped, and preferably made of a metal having relatively higher rresilient properties than that from which the rigidk body po`r-V tion 31 is constructed, such for example as V,the stanchion 83.

end 32b of saidtongue is arranged to passy tempered steel, phosphor bronze,` and the like material. Adjacent the end of the lower portion of the tongue'32, a hole 32a is provided whereby it may be slipped lon al lug 31a struck up from the body member 31. on the rim of a through opening 38 in The free or the linger through vsaid stanchion opening Band pro jectwith sufficient clearance to permit the tongue to be depressed below the top or lone or more conductor wires inserte end29 thereof, the

LB and may be of of the looped stanchion to grip d between the tongue 32 and said bight 33 as shown in liigs. 2, l and 4L.

bigia sa) v1n usiiigthe invention for connecting the signal tower 25 lor otheraccessory into tracks circuit, the binding plate is .first at-v tached to the track system by swinging the lever 26 to the right, until it strikes the Y luv' 110, asis shown in Fig. 2and thenpprojecting (the arms 18 and 18a beneath the rails 10 and 13 far enough to permit the clips'21 and 21 to embrace the flanges 13c of the third rail, and the' lever 26. is manipulated' so that the gripping end 26* thereof engages the flange 10 of thef rail 10 to lirmly and positively anchor the device to the track. A Y

'ihus the current carrying strips 19, 19?L and 28 through their corresponding clips 21, 21 and 29 respectively are each brought in close contact with the'spaced rail sections 13"L and 13? of the third rail, one of said sections forming part of an insulated track section in conJunction withwhich the tower 25roperates, the electric current passing to 'Y and from the terminals A, B, and C to the tower through the` conductor 'wires 23,124,

and 30 respectively. I

It will thus be seen that there is provided a Vdevice in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is p ticaluse. y y

As 'various possible Vembodiments might be made of the aboveinvention, and as variwell adapted to meet the co'ndition'sfof pracous changes might be made in the embodiment above Yset fortlnit iste be understood that-all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is tolbe interpreted as illustrative andr not ina limiting sense. j 1 j Y Vllaving thus described my inventioinl claim as new and desire to secure byLetlters Patent 1. A binding'plate for a toy electric railway track comprising a base portion, a pair of spacedl arms extending from said portion, and separate current carrying means` on each arm, said portion adapted to releasably engage with the track rails for connecting the plateinto the rail circuit.

2. A binding plate for a way track comprising a base portion, a pair of parallelly spaced arms 'extending from and beyond one side of said portion, `sepatoy electric rail-V lli) rate 'current carrying means on each arm, s

said portion adapted to releasably engage with the trackV rails forV connecting the plate into the rail circuit, and binding posts for each of said means. Y f

3. 1n combination with toy electric railway tracks and an electrically operatedaccessory, a binding platehavingv detachable means for securing the plate to the tracks, y

said means including,` at least three current carrying members adapted to connect With the track circuit, and conducting Wires for connecting each of said means with the accessory.

4L. In combination with toy electric rail- Way tracks, and an electrically operated accessory, a binding plate having detachable means for securing the plate to the tracks,

said means including at least three current 10 carrying members adapted to connect with the track circuit, a terminal post for each of said members and conductor Wires connecting the accessory to said terminal posts.

ture.

Louis CARUSO.

In testimony .whereof I ali'ix my signa- `15 

